Why infectious disease physicians are best suited to lead antimicrobial stewardship efforts

Infectious disease physicians are the ideal stakeholders to lead antimicrobial stewardship programs in the healthcare setting, according to a paper published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The paper's authors — leaders from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America — argue multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship programs are most effective when led by infectious disease physicians.

These physicians are able to look beyond individual patient cases and see the broader repercussions of widespread antimicrobial use.